But more important than these theatrics is the sober fact that Michigan's budget deficit for fiscal 2012 is a whopping $1.6 billion, according to the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency. And while our budget outlook hasn't been rosy for, oh, the last decade, this is particularly dire. We won't be getting any more help from Washington, but we have to balance our books, anyway.

Voters deserve the chance to hear what Bernero and Snyder would do to erase this sea of red ink, say, in some televised debates. They are important for democracy, even if there's some silliness and lots of soundbites.

Much of the back-and-forth about debates has been political posturing. Let's hope there's an agreement soon.